The same market factors which will influence swine numbers should result in an increase in the cattle herd though it will take longer for this to have an impact on corn prices. A link to Chris's article is below.
Showing posts with label Swine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Swine. Show all posts
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Hogs and Corn Price Recovery
Chris Hurt has published an article in the University of Illinois' Farm Doc Daily discussing the prospects for future hog expansion in response to the reduced corn prices which I found very interesting. There are some negatives which may impact the industry's ability to increase the breeding herd, particularly whether porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) becomes widespread. In virgin herds this disease has been devastating to young pigs and could result in a delay in national swine herd growth. However the article is positive for long-term corn price recovery.
The same market factors which will influence swine numbers should result in an increase in the cattle herd though it will take longer for this to have an impact on corn prices. A link to Chris's article is below.
Hogs Provide Near $7 per Bushel Corn Value
The same market factors which will influence swine numbers should result in an increase in the cattle herd though it will take longer for this to have an impact on corn prices. A link to Chris's article is below.
Friday, February 22, 2013
2013 Central Indiana Pork Conference Report
I want to throw in a brief report about the 2013 Central Indiana Pork Conference held February 6. As I was the site host I did have to bounce around a bit from time to time, particularly in the morning, but I'll provide as much of a summary as I can. Also, pdf's of most of the presentations are up on the Clinton County Extension Office website.
Paul Clouser from Indiana Packers was the first presenter and this is the one I missed the most of. However I did catch a few items which caught my attention. First, they wanted to congratulate producers for helping them by providing higher quality animals to their plant. Since DDGS have become a substantial portion of swine rations Iodine Values and carcass quality have been a big industry issue and they had far less of a problem with this recently than they did a year or two ago.
He wanted to caution farmers on several aspects of production. One, which I intend to use in my PQA programs from now on, is that if you have a broken needle in an animal, euthanize it. My suggestion, so long as it meets all withdrawal standards, would be either to process it for your own use at home or send it to a processor and donate the meat to a food bank. However they don't want these animals at the plant. He also wanted farmers to be aware that as much of their business involves overseas markets, they should be aware of and follow IPC's corporate residue limits which in some cases are more stringent than US standards.
The Industry Outlook provided by Purdue Ag Economist Chris Hurt focused, unsurprisingly, on feed prices. He made the "official" prediction that US corn prices will experience the largest drop in history, $2.50 by next summer. Of course prices will still be above $5.00. He considers this to be a "sweet spot" where both grain farmers and pork producers should be able to turn a profit. Current stocks are short so this will be very weather-driven but he sees a good possibility of a long, slow decline with, if it looks like the crop is good, a rapid price drop in early July. With decent weather the next few years he thinks a long-term price outlook is for corn in the $5 range and soybeans around $11. With bad weather it's hard to tell where things might go. Another drought could drive corn over $10 and soybeans to $20. Ultimately, he believes that if the weather cooperates, the industry should see a return to profitability by the second quarter of 2013.
Brian Martin and Wes Lack from MP3 farms discussed a new sow unit they recently installed which uses an automated electronic feeding system and houses sows in groups rather than using gestation stalls. They provided a great deal of information on how the system works, how they train farm employees as well as gilts to use the system and other aspects which I won't detail here. They also operate an older sow unit which uses gestation stalls so they were able to provide some interesting comparative date over production in the two systems. Very briefly, while sow mortality is slightly higher with this system, overall performance of animals in the two systems has been very comparable when looking at areas such as pigs/sow/year and lbs/sow/year. One area which doesn't show up in the numbers is that they said the sows in this system are very easy to handle and work; very calm and easygoing.
I'll use their talk as a jumping-off point to editorialize a little. I've been at several programs recently including those sponsored by the National Pork Board and animal handling and housing is a prominent theme. Despite research which shows that sows get along fine in gestation stalls and other similar production-related issues, we live in a new age. At one time in this country, people were primarily worried about having enough to eat. They progressed from that to a concern over the quality of what they eat. Today many people are concerned with how animals are raised. In any business where you're producing a product for consumers, consumer preferences is a driver. Animal handling standards, housing systems, etc., should definitely be considered in animal operations. It's a basis for the Pork Quality Assurance (PQA Plus) program which almost all Pork Producers receive certification through. If I'm talking to a farmer who's considering building a new breeding/gestation/production unit, I would urge him or her to strongly consider a group housing system for sows. At this point I wouldn't advise spending a lot of money to convert an existing facility but for new construction I think farmers need to give it serious thought. The industry has been heading in this direction for some time now and I see no indication that this trend will stop.
Aflatoxin was a serious problem in corn this year and farmers know that this was a big issue in feeding hogs. Brian Richert from the Purdue Animal Sciences Department discussed issues related to this. A portion of this was related to levels at which hogs can tolerate Aflatoxin, strategies and methods of maintaining feed quality and preventing toxin development. I was more interested when he started talking about how some approved flowables - products added to grain to prevent clumping due to moisture - also can substantially mitigate the impacts of Aflatoxin in feed by serving as binders. In this area most farmers were able to blend feed enough to keep Aflatoxin levels down to acceptable levels but if you want to plan for a year where this may be next to impossible, Brian's presentation would be a very good starting point to start looking into these binders as another option.
This was a very good program. I was disappointed that numbers were down this year and will be looking at ways to bring this back up next year. For those who attended, thanks for coming and a big thank you goes out to the Rossville FFA Chapter who provided lunch.
Paul Clouser from Indiana Packers was the first presenter and this is the one I missed the most of. However I did catch a few items which caught my attention. First, they wanted to congratulate producers for helping them by providing higher quality animals to their plant. Since DDGS have become a substantial portion of swine rations Iodine Values and carcass quality have been a big industry issue and they had far less of a problem with this recently than they did a year or two ago.
He wanted to caution farmers on several aspects of production. One, which I intend to use in my PQA programs from now on, is that if you have a broken needle in an animal, euthanize it. My suggestion, so long as it meets all withdrawal standards, would be either to process it for your own use at home or send it to a processor and donate the meat to a food bank. However they don't want these animals at the plant. He also wanted farmers to be aware that as much of their business involves overseas markets, they should be aware of and follow IPC's corporate residue limits which in some cases are more stringent than US standards.
The Industry Outlook provided by Purdue Ag Economist Chris Hurt focused, unsurprisingly, on feed prices. He made the "official" prediction that US corn prices will experience the largest drop in history, $2.50 by next summer. Of course prices will still be above $5.00. He considers this to be a "sweet spot" where both grain farmers and pork producers should be able to turn a profit. Current stocks are short so this will be very weather-driven but he sees a good possibility of a long, slow decline with, if it looks like the crop is good, a rapid price drop in early July. With decent weather the next few years he thinks a long-term price outlook is for corn in the $5 range and soybeans around $11. With bad weather it's hard to tell where things might go. Another drought could drive corn over $10 and soybeans to $20. Ultimately, he believes that if the weather cooperates, the industry should see a return to profitability by the second quarter of 2013.
Brian Martin and Wes Lack from MP3 farms discussed a new sow unit they recently installed which uses an automated electronic feeding system and houses sows in groups rather than using gestation stalls. They provided a great deal of information on how the system works, how they train farm employees as well as gilts to use the system and other aspects which I won't detail here. They also operate an older sow unit which uses gestation stalls so they were able to provide some interesting comparative date over production in the two systems. Very briefly, while sow mortality is slightly higher with this system, overall performance of animals in the two systems has been very comparable when looking at areas such as pigs/sow/year and lbs/sow/year. One area which doesn't show up in the numbers is that they said the sows in this system are very easy to handle and work; very calm and easygoing.
I'll use their talk as a jumping-off point to editorialize a little. I've been at several programs recently including those sponsored by the National Pork Board and animal handling and housing is a prominent theme. Despite research which shows that sows get along fine in gestation stalls and other similar production-related issues, we live in a new age. At one time in this country, people were primarily worried about having enough to eat. They progressed from that to a concern over the quality of what they eat. Today many people are concerned with how animals are raised. In any business where you're producing a product for consumers, consumer preferences is a driver. Animal handling standards, housing systems, etc., should definitely be considered in animal operations. It's a basis for the Pork Quality Assurance (PQA Plus) program which almost all Pork Producers receive certification through. If I'm talking to a farmer who's considering building a new breeding/gestation/production unit, I would urge him or her to strongly consider a group housing system for sows. At this point I wouldn't advise spending a lot of money to convert an existing facility but for new construction I think farmers need to give it serious thought. The industry has been heading in this direction for some time now and I see no indication that this trend will stop.
Aflatoxin was a serious problem in corn this year and farmers know that this was a big issue in feeding hogs. Brian Richert from the Purdue Animal Sciences Department discussed issues related to this. A portion of this was related to levels at which hogs can tolerate Aflatoxin, strategies and methods of maintaining feed quality and preventing toxin development. I was more interested when he started talking about how some approved flowables - products added to grain to prevent clumping due to moisture - also can substantially mitigate the impacts of Aflatoxin in feed by serving as binders. In this area most farmers were able to blend feed enough to keep Aflatoxin levels down to acceptable levels but if you want to plan for a year where this may be next to impossible, Brian's presentation would be a very good starting point to start looking into these binders as another option.
This was a very good program. I was disappointed that numbers were down this year and will be looking at ways to bring this back up next year. For those who attended, thanks for coming and a big thank you goes out to the Rossville FFA Chapter who provided lunch.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Central Indiana Pork Conference
The Seventh Annual Central Indiana Pork Conference (CIPC) will be held on Wednesday, February 6 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m at Rossville High School. The cost of the program will be $20 per person and will include lunch.
There will be a variety of topics covered including state and federal legislative and regulatory changes, including the new fertilizer rule. This has been a highly successful, well attended program in past years. I have a web page for this program with additional information, including a flyer and registration form.
There will be a variety of topics covered including state and federal legislative and regulatory changes, including the new fertilizer rule. This has been a highly successful, well attended program in past years. I have a web page for this program with additional information, including a flyer and registration form.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Central Indiana Pork Conference Details
The final details for the 2012 Central Indiana Pork Conference have been set:
Wednesday, February 8
Rossville High School
9:00 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Cost: $20 which includes lunch and all materials
This looks like another good program with programs on PRRS filtration, Circovirus vaccination, and a report on the results of the EPA Animal Agriculture Air Quality study. We will also have reports from industry representatives and commodity groups.
The registration deadline is Wednesday, February 1. We'll accept late registrations but we won't guarantee lunch if you sign up after February 1st.
For additional information, go to the Central Indiana Pork Conference Web Page. A schedule for the day and a brochure and registration form can be found on that page. Both are in pdf form.
Rossville High School
9:00 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Cost: $20 which includes lunch and all materials
This looks like another good program with programs on PRRS filtration, Circovirus vaccination, and a report on the results of the EPA Animal Agriculture Air Quality study. We will also have reports from industry representatives and commodity groups.
The registration deadline is Wednesday, February 1. We'll accept late registrations but we won't guarantee lunch if you sign up after February 1st.
For additional information, go to the Central Indiana Pork Conference Web Page. A schedule for the day and a brochure and registration form can be found on that page. Both are in pdf form.
Monday, November 14, 2011
2012 Central Indiana Pork Conference Date Set
This is mainly a "hold the date" post to inform you that the 2012 Central Indiana Pork Conference (CIPC) has been scheduled for Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at Rossville High School in Rossville. This happens to be the same date as the Ohio Pork Conference but I don't expect too many of our regular attendees will be heading over there.
I do not have a full agenda yet though I expect the general 9 a.m. to 3 or 3:30 p.m. times will hold again. I have confirmed most of the Commodity representatives and state agency people to provide updates, Indiana Packers will have someone there and Dr. Monty Moss will be giving a presentation on the filtration system he implemented at his operation to counteract PRRS. I heard him give this (or something very similar) at the Indiana Swine Health Advisory Committee Meeting a few weeks ago and he is excellent, both in the quality of his presentation and in the information he provided.
I will be filling out the agenda over the next few weeks. You can keep track of things either through this blog or by checking the Central Indiana Pork Conference Web Page. You can find past agendas and past speaker presentations at that site as well.
I do not have a full agenda yet though I expect the general 9 a.m. to 3 or 3:30 p.m. times will hold again. I have confirmed most of the Commodity representatives and state agency people to provide updates, Indiana Packers will have someone there and Dr. Monty Moss will be giving a presentation on the filtration system he implemented at his operation to counteract PRRS. I heard him give this (or something very similar) at the Indiana Swine Health Advisory Committee Meeting a few weeks ago and he is excellent, both in the quality of his presentation and in the information he provided.
I will be filling out the agenda over the next few weeks. You can keep track of things either through this blog or by checking the Central Indiana Pork Conference Web Page. You can find past agendas and past speaker presentations at that site as well.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
PQA Plus Training
I've scheduled a PQA Plus and PQA Site Self Assessment Training for Tuesday, August 16, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Extension Office. Details are as follows:
PQA Plus and PQA Site Self-Assessment Training
Tuesday, August 16
6:30-9:00 PM
Clinton County Extension Office
1111 South Jackson St
Frankfort, IN 46041
Cost: Free
Schedule
6:30-7:30 - PQA Plus Training
7:30-9:00 – Site Self-Assessment Training and Exam
Please call 765-659-6380 or 765-296-3511 or e-mail cemanuel@purdue.edu by August 15 to register.
Purdue University is an equal access/equal opportunity institution
Thursday, May 19, 2011
CIPC Presentations Available
I've finally loaded the presentations from this year's Central Indiana Pork Conference. I haven't received an updated program from Brian Richert and I didn't even bother asking the person from Boehringer-Ingelheim for hers. There had to be a ton of proprietary information on it. Just click on the presentation link at the bottom of the page to access them.
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